Grants for the arts – individuals and organisations 21 July 2011 Stephen Wiper Relationship Manager, Regional Planning

Grants for the arts Our mission for the next three years is ‘Great art for everyone’. Grants for the arts will help us do this.

Background First launched in April 2003 Available across England Customer focussed Equality of opportunity Grants for individuals and organisations Light touch Quick decisions Flexibility built in Programme reviewed in 2007 (regularly reviewed)

Grants for the arts Our funding programme for: individuals arts organisations people who use the arts in their work For time limited arts-related activities that: engage people in England help artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work No deadlines

Grants for the arts – individuals Includes artists, performers, promoters, presenters, curators, producers, writers, groups of individuals and other individuals working in the arts Grants normally range from £1,000 to £30,000 and can cover activities lasting up to three years Average grant in 2010/11 was £8,178

Grants for the arts – organisations Includes arts organisations, local authorities, public organisations, partnerships, collectives, national organisations and organisations whose activity is not arts-related, including voluntary and community groups and groups of organisations Grants normally range from £1,000 up to £100,000 and can cover activities lasting up to three years Average grant in 2010/11 was £34,374

Who cannot apply (i) Organisations that are able to share out profits to members or shareholders, unless the activity you are applying for is a self-contained arts project and has a clear benefit to the public Students, for activities related to their course of study or their tuition fees (by student we mean a person following a course of study in a school, a college or a university) Organisations receiving regular funding from us that do not have their lead officer’s agreement to apply in writing beforehand

Who cannot apply (ii) Individual educational establishments where the activity does not provide benefits to the wider community or artists Individuals or organisations based (living) outside the European Union

Grants for the arts – the types of activity we fund (i) Arts-related activities including: projects and events commissions and productions research and development activities for people to take part in ‘audience development’ marketing activities education activities buying assets such as equipment, instruments and vehicles

Grants for the arts – the types of activity we fund (ii) doing feasibility studies or developing designs for arts building and refurbishing, improving and buying buildings for use in the arts (You must ask for our agreement in writing before you apply or we will not be able to assess your application. Our enquiry team can put you in touch with your regional office) public art professional development and training, including travel grants bursaries fellowships

Grants for the arts – the types of activity we fund (iii) organisational development to improve the long-term stability of arts organisations residencies touring

Grants for the arts – the types of activity we fund (iv) national activities, such as: – national touring projects – activities of national significance Grants for national activities normally range from £1,000 up to £200,000

What you cannot apply for (i) Activities that are not arts-related Film or video production and cinema exhibition, unless it is in support of artists’ work in the moving image (including film and video). Our information sheet The moving image has more details on what we do and do not fund related to the moving image Training or education activities, or activities where members of the public take part, where the main or only art form being used is film or video, unless it is in support of artists’ work in the moving image Buying assets for film and video, unless they are in support of artists’ work in the moving image

What you cannot apply for (ii) Activities that provide no potential benefit to the public, either in the short or long term Activities, including buying goods or services, which take place or start before we would be able to decide on your application Activities, equipment or events that double up (duplicate) what already exists Costs that are already covered by other funding General running costs and overheads that are paid for by other income, including your own funds

What you cannot apply for (iii) Ongoing overheads related to equipment or buildings, such as insurance and maintenance costs Fundraising events, such as charity galas, that do not benefit the arts Second-hand equipment (apart from certain musical instruments and specialist equipment) Activities or events mainly taking place outside England (there are some exceptions to this – for example, grants for international travel and training, and international exchanges – but these activities must benefit individuals and artists living in, and organisations based in, England. Our information sheet International activity has more information.)

What you cannot apply for (iv) Activities that do not benefit people in England or that do not help artists and arts organisations in England to carry out their work Buying equipment and instruments which do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the longer term, or where the person applying does not have an artistic track record Self-promotional activities which do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the longer term, or where the person applying does not have an artistic track record Activities in a formal education setting for educational purposes necessary by law

How to make your application eligible (i) To be eligible to be assessed, your application must include: a signed and dated application form with all the required questions completed, and any other relevant questions filled in a filled-in summary budget in section D of the application form (you may also include a more detailed budget on a separate sheet if necessary)

How to make your application eligible (ii) a balanced budget (that is, your income and spending (expenditure) must be the same, including how much you are asking for from us) a written proposal following the headings we ask for in ‘How to apply’ (you must use these headings or your application will not be eligible to be assessed) a CV (if you are applying as an individual)

How to make your application eligible (iii) a copy of written confirmation that your lead officer agrees with you making an application (if you receive regular funding from us) a copy of written confirmation from us that we agree with you making an application (if you are applying for a building project) a copy of written confirmation that we agree with you making another application (if we are already assessing an application from you). a copy of written confirmation that we agree with you making an application for over £200,000 (Nat Act) or over £100,000 (grants to organisations)

Demand for our grants There is high demand for our grants and we are not able to fund all good applications Average amount requested is growing each year – we will be managing expectation carefully

Contents of the application pack ‘How to apply’ including guidance on understanding our assessment criteria, details on how to contact us and help with writing your proposal (remember you must follow our headings in your written proposal) An application form An information booklet on other sources of funding

Our approach to partnership funding We expect you to find at least 10% of the total cost of your activity from other income sources – this is a minimum For projects which related to other sectors for example health, education, social exclusion, we will expect other agencies to be providing significant amounts of partnership funding In special circumstances we will provide a grant for the total cost of your activity If you apply to us for the total cost of your activity, you must tell us in your written proposal what your special circumstances are, otherwise your application may not be eligible to be assessed

Local authorities Key partners Invited to comment on all applications where the activity will benefit or involve people living in a particular local authority area At times we may also ask for comments on other applications. For example, from applicants based in an authority where the local authority’s knowledge of the applicant and their work may be useful We use the comments they give as part of our assessment We also let local authorities know the outcome of applications

How do we assess applications? We have four assessment criteria, these are: The quality of the activity or its ongoing effect on your artistic practice (or both) and the quality of the effect the activity will have on the people experiencing it How people will engage with the activity, immediately or in the long term How the activity will be managed and its on-going effect How realistic the activity is financially, and its future effect

Public Engagement Engaging with the arts covers a wide spectrum of activity. It could incorporate all or any of the following:  attending an arts event  taking part in an arts activity  volunteering to work at or with an arts organisation  working with an artist or group of artists to design or create an artwork  helping to make decisions about arts activity in a local community or helping an arts organisation to make decisions about its work

Overview (i) Our overview areas are one of the tools which help us make difficult decisions about which applications to support. We consider applications against these four overview areas. They are not a checklist for applicants to follow Overview score 1 is the application from an individual or organisation that has not received funding from us before?

Overview (ii) Overview score 2 Will the application increase arts activity in places which have limited or no opportunities for people to engage with arts activity? Overview score 3 Will the application increase engagement in arts activity by people who have little or no engagement with arts activity?

Overview (iii) Overview score 4 Will the application develop the arts sector? When considering this, our assessor takes account of the following: -How the activity promotes new ideas and helps people to use the arts in new contexts, formats, or places; -How the activity promotes development opportunities for artists and supports talented people to develop their skills; -How the activity provides opportunities particularly relevant to Black and minority ethnic artists and Black and minority ethnic led arts organisations; -How the activity provides opportunities particularly relevant to disabled artists and arts organisations led by disabled people.

Decision making We have a budget which we manage carefully and flexibly to ensure that we have money available throughout the year No one should be disadvantaged by the time of year they apply We fund a balanced range of applications by considering: – the outcome of our assessment process – our overview areas – reports and spending to date, and future demand

How to contact us For general advice, contact our enquiry team by: website: phone: Textphone: For more detailed advice, the enquiry team can put you in touch with the right person in the Arts Council office for the region you are based in. You can also see examples of projects we fund on our website.

How to apply Talk to us You will need our written agreement to apply for certain activities Complete the application form and provide a written proposal in the required format We require extra information for certain activities You can supply supporting evidence Send your application to the Arts Council National Support Centre (see How to apply booklet)

Other formats available We provide the Grants for the arts application materials in a variety of formats: electronic files on our website large print audio cd Braille BSL DVD information available in languages other than English (but you can only apply in English) If you require any of these formats, please visit our website or contact our enquiry team.

Communication needs If you have communication needs that make it difficult for you to send your application, our enquiry team can put you in touch with staff in the Arts Council office for the region you are based in, who can agree necessary arrangements. Phone: Textphone:

When to apply Continuous programme – apply when you are ready, using the correct pack Allow enough time for us to reach our decision Plan in enough time to get your activity started once we have reached our decision Grants are available throughout the year

When will you know the outcome If you have provided us with all the information we need we will make a decision in: -6 weeks for applications for £5,000 or less -12 weeks for applications for over £5,000 We will then write to you to tell you the outcome If we do not fund your application we will write to explain the main reasons why and tell you who to contact if you want more detailed feedback

Some examples of activities we have funded [insert text and images about activities funded in region]

Thank you